A tale halfway between cockatiels and humans,
brought to you by Arki and Tigee...

...so you think you know everything and have seen everything our world has to offer? Then I'll tell you something. Just listen and judge later. Maybe it will change the way you perceive the world.I will tell you about some of the Lost Ones. There are many, and modern times have made them the creatures of legend and myth. People think dragons don't exist and have never existed. People think, there are no faeries or even elves, and they might say that they are all inventions of the collective mind of mankind. People say there are no yetis or bunyips are wendigos or whatsoever creatures. They only live in tales and that's it. That's why they're called the Lost Ones, lost to the real world. There is one particular species of this bunch, the ones who take the sky. Legends say they once lived amongst mankind, disguised as humans. Similar as some faeries did and some of the fae folk. Maybe like the mermaids who shed their fishtail. But these creatures didn't take to water. In fact, they were the ooposite... sort of. They were called the bird people or the Avians. Rumor had it they were able to shapeshift into a bird and fly among their feathered kin. They had all sorts of forms. Parrots, parakeets, birds of prey, ravens... And I once met one. It was a woman. Or at least I like to think she was one. She was like all of her kind. Extremely pale, strange eyes and hair, and that's what distinguishes them from the normal folks. You can always tell. The younger ones of the bird people don't quite master the trick of disguise and are always to be picked out of the crowd by those vibrant colours. She had a second shape as well, that of a parakeet. A cockatiel it was. And she had this strange garment, made all of feathers and lace, all over. I still don't know if those feathers were her own, sprouting from her very skin, or if she made that thing out of gifts from her kin... Maybe she was the last of her kind, and some remnant from that long past time I would have loved to live in. She told me her name was Scythara, and that's a draconic name. She called herself a CockaTiel mage, given the ability to speak to those special birds, and gifted with the knowledge of their ways. For birds and those special parakeets know things humans can never. They guard their own secrets and their own history. And they do have a very special affection towards vibrant colours. Maybe that's the reason the eyes of the young ones are so extraordinary in colour. With her name, I think she might have to to with dragonkind as well which proves the theory that most of the Lost Ones are linked to those who call themselves Keepers. Now, don't you call that hogwash, young one! Maybe some time you'll meet a Lost One yourself. But maybe you'll refuse to believe your eyes and senses. They're evasive and know when their presence is not desired or required. So, I'll tell you some more about Scythara and her kind. About her way to talk to the feathered ones, her brothers and sisters of the air. And maybe - I hope - this will open your mind to the ways of those creatures, that you might open your eyes and see... Meet one of the Avians, Scythara, a shapeshifter with the ability to shift from human to avian form. She comes with two different shapes, one human, one halfway between bird and woman. Create your own tale of the Lost Ones and learn to see... Artwork featuring Scythara - Plumdown dress and character Birds 1 rendered by Sowelu Birds 2 rendered by Sowelu

Scythara, a CockaTiel Mage...

Happy rendering !